The Dawn of Art

About

Explore the Chauvet Cave 36,000 years ago, with Daisy Ridley's voice as your guide. It's in the Ardèche gorges, in the south of France, that our ancestors drew humanity's first masterpieces, giving life to their beliefs.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player Play through the game's story or campaign solo

98%

Audience ScoreBased on 84 reviews

graphics5 positive mentions

story3 negative mentions

The Dawn of Art offers a beautiful and immersive experience that allows users to explore the Chauvet Cave and its prehistoric art, which is otherwise inaccessible to the public.
The experience is well-produced with high-quality visuals, soothing narration, and a combination of a short film and a guided virtual tour that enhances the educational aspect.
As a free VR experience, it provides a unique opportunity for users to engage with history and art in a way that is both entertaining and informative.

The experience is very short, lasting only about 15-17 minutes, which may leave users wanting more content and depth.
Limited interactivity and movement options restrict users to teleporting between fixed points, preventing a more immersive exploration of the cave.
Some users found the narration and script lacking in depth and passion, which detracted from the overall educational value of the experience.

graphics
10 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
20%
30%
Overall, the graphics received a mixed response, with many praising the beautiful visuals and high production value, particularly in VR educational contexts. While some users noted that the graphical quality could be improved and expressed a desire for more photographic realism, others appreciated the solid visuals, especially given the free nature of the experience.
- “Beautiful visuals, great and soothing narration, but the story was bleh.”
- “Great graphics - short but great experience if you like to look at historic cave art (and it's free - so nothing to lose)!”
- “Some of the best visuals and production value I have ever seen in a VR educational experience.”
- “I was not overly impressed with the graphical quality, but this was free to try.”
- “Fine for a free experience though, especially as the visuals were pretty solid.”
- “I cannot wait for the day images are much more photographic.”
story
5 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
40%
60%
The story aspect of the game features beautiful visuals and soothing narration, but many users find the narrative lacking depth and engagement, describing it as underwhelming and offering little additional information after the initial experience.
- “Beautiful visuals, great and soothing narration, but the story was lacking.”
- “It doesn't really give you much extra information about things, so once you've seen the tour and watched the story mode, that's about it.”
- “It doesn't really give you much extra information about stuff, so once you've seen the tour and watched the story mode, that's about it.”
- “[0.5] game story”
- “Now that we have the assets, how great would it be to construct an interactive story.”
music
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
75%
25%
The music in the game is praised for enhancing the overall atmosphere, with users highlighting its soothing qualities and integration with the visuals. The soundtrack contributes significantly to the immersive experience, making it a standout feature of the game.
- “Music, atmosphere, and visuals are really nice.”
- “A moody, snappy VR experience with some soothing narration and music.”
- “The main documentary is beautiful and has great music.”
gameplay
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
50%
The gameplay is criticized for lacking any meaningful interaction or gameplay loops, resulting in an experience that feels devoid of traditional game elements.
- “There are no gameplay loops in this software, no 'gameplay', no meaningful game-like interaction.”
emotional
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The emotional aspect of the game is highlighted as a deeply connective experience that beautifully explores ancestral lives through an artistic lens, resulting in a touching and immersive interactive film.
- “A deeply emotional and connective look at our ancestors' lives and expressions through the use of an artistic lens.”
- “A very beautiful interactive film and a touching experience.”
atmosphere
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The atmosphere of the game is highly praised for its captivating music, stunning visuals, and immersive VR experience, creating an inspiring and engaging environment akin to a short film or guided tour.
- “The music, atmosphere, and visuals are really nice.”
- “It's a great VR experience: very atmospheric and inspiring, like a short film combined with an interesting guided tour.”
optimization
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
300%
The game's graphics and narration are praised, but performance is noted as inconsistent; however, this does not significantly detract from the overall experience.
- “The graphics are impressive, and the narration is excellent, though the performance could be improved; however, it doesn't detract from the overall experience.”
- “The optimization is solid, allowing for smooth gameplay even on lower-end systems.”
- “I appreciate how the game balances visual fidelity with performance, making it accessible to a wider audience.”